The present application relates to a method and apparatus for auto-stereoscopic displays. In some embodiments the method and apparatus relate to auto-stereoscopic image displays and in particular, but not exclusively limited to, some further embodiments relate to auto-stereoscopic display for mobile apparatus.
Stereoscopic image displays have the potential to significantly improve the user's experience of operating and interacting with modern electronic devices. So-called 3D display technology or stereoscopic display technology generates images to the left and right eye separately in order to fool the user into believing that say are viewing a three dimensional image. Traditional stereoscopic displays present images for the left and right eye and then use filters placed over each eye so that the left eye only views the image for the left eye and the right eye only views the image for the right eye. An example of such technology is polarization filtering where images for the left and right eye are modulated by a different polarisation. This technology is currently favoured in 3D cinemas. Such technology, although capable of presenting 3D images of objects requires each user to be equipped with the required filters, typically in the form of a pair of over-spectacles in order to view the image.
Auto-stereoscopic displays which do not require the user to wear any device to filter the left and right images but instead filters or directs the images directly to the correct eye, are rapidly becoming commercially realisable. These auto-stereoscopic devices remove a significant barrier to the use of 3D displays for everyday use. Such displays use a range of optical elements in combination with a display to focus or direct the left and right view to the left and right eye respectively.
However such auto-stereoscopic systems can present images which appear distracting rather than immersive and can often lack the visual cues which the human visual system would expect such as reflections and shadowing.
Furthermore interaction with the image displayed is typically limited. Auto-stereoscopic displays typically have a limited range of viewing angles before the auto-stereoscopic view becomes poor. For example the location of the user with reference to the display and the movement of the user with reference to the display will typically only cause the user to experience a non-optimal image in that the viewing angle range for displaying a three dimensional image is exceeded.
Thus interaction with the image displayed on the 3D display and the illusion of 3D image presentation with regards to interaction is typically poorly implemented.
This application proceeds from the consideration that whilst auto-stereoscopic display panels can assist in display representations it may be advantageous to improve on such displays by use of additional displays and control interfaces.
Embodiments of the present application aim to address the above problems.